Job - Chapters 32-37

In this transcription, Julie Callio discusses the story of Job from chapters 32 to 37. She introduces the young man Elihu who becomes angry with Job and his three friends. Elihu believes that Job is suffering because of his sins, but Job insists that he is blameless. Julie relates to feeling insignificant and shares lessons about anger and judgment. She emphasizes the importance of listening, trusting in God, and treating others with love and compassion. I'm Julie Callio, your host, and thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to tune in with me today. If, by chance, you want to contact me, you can do that at vab.bc.pc at gmail.com. We are covering chapters 32 through 37 of Job today, and this is when the young man Elihu speaks. So far in Job, he was tested by having all that he had taken away, including his 10 children, and then his health was taken away, and he was covered with sores from the top of his head to the heel of his feet. At the end of chapter 2, Job's three friends were introduced, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, and they came together to comfort Job. They sat for seven days in silence until Job began the discussion. The friends all believed that Job was going through these extremely difficult times because of sin in his life, but Job said he had nothing to confess. Because we have the view of the narrator, we know that Job is telling the truth. He is not suffering because of sin. He is being tested because he was blameless and upright. He feared God and shunned evil. We find in chapters 3 through 31 that instead of bringing comfort to Job, they brought condemnation. Job even called them miserable comforters, chapter 16, verse 2. Now Elihu, who is not mentioned in chapter 2, speaks. Chapter 32, verses 1 through 5 begin, So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. But Elihu, son of Barakal the Buzite, or the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God. He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned them. Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job because they were older than he, but when he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused. Now it is thought that he was not mentioned in the beginning of the story because he was young and therefore was considered insignificant. As he sat and listened to these men, we find he became very angry. He was mad at Job for justifying himself instead of God. He was mad at the three men because they could not convince him of his sin. And then he was mad because they gave up and said no more. Elihu explained in the rest of chapter 32 that he was young, which is why he held his tongue. But he also knows that wisdom is not just with the old, but it can also be with the young. In verses 18 through 20 he said, For I am full of words, and the spirit within me compels me. Inside I am like bottled up wine, like new wineskins ready to burst. I must speak and find relief. I must open my lips and reply. I see my younger self, as Elihu was, as a female that loved the Bible. Many times I was considered insignificant. My views didn't matter and that brought about resentment and anger. I would sit sometimes at discussions led by men and inside me bubble up truth that I needed to share. But by that time I shared it with emotion and anger and the words were not received. I have since learned, as James, Jesus' half-brother, said in his letter in chapter 1 verses 19 through 20, My dear brothers, take note of this. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteousness of God. What is interesting to me is that I learned that valuable lesson through sufferings in ministry. The first book I read on anger is called The Anger Workbook by Les Carter and Dr. Frank Minrath. Paul, the apostle, said in his letter to the Ephesians in chapter 4 verses 26 and 27, In your anger do not sin, do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anger is not a sin, but what we do in our anger can be. Anger is technically a secondary emotion. We are angry because of something else. In a very, very, very simplistic explanation, we can become angry if we are afraid, frustrated, hurt, or there is an injustice. Elihu may have been hurt because he was considered insignificant. He definitely was frustrated with the conversation that had gone on before him between the three friends and Job, and he also felt injustice because it bothered him that God was not recognized as just. Now, as with Job's three friends, Elihu had come up with the same misconception that Job had sinned and that is the reason for his suffering. This is called the retribution principle. People are blessed when they obey God and are cursed when they don't. On one hand that is true, but the problem is that is not always the case. Sometimes good people who are obeying God the best they know how still struggle, still get sick, still have tragedy hit them. So let's take a look at some of Elihu's words. Elihu defends the fact that God is with him and in chapter 33 verse 4 he says, the Spirit of God has made me. The breath of the Almighty gives me life. He is correct that the Spirit of God can be with young people as well as old people and there are some old people that are not godly at all. When I waitressed after college, a fellow waitress and a friend of mine said, old people are either really really nice or really really mean. If you remember in 1 Timothy chapter 4 verse 12, the Apostle Paul told Timothy, don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech and life, in love, in faith and in purity. Wisdom can be found in both young and old alike. Then Elihu continues addressing Job because Job is defending himself and blaming God for his sorrow. He reminds Job, for God does speak now one way, now another, though man may not perceive it. As an older woman who has gone through a few dark nights of the soul, when you feel that God is not listening or speaking to you, I recognize that Elihu may not have experienced deep sorrow yet. In chapter 34 verses 10-12, Elihu said, So listen to me, you men of understanding, far be it from God to do evil, from the Almighty to do wrong. He repays a man for what he has done. He brings upon him what his conduct deserves. It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice. Then in verse 33 he adds, Should God then reward you on your terms? When you refuse to repent, you must decide, not I, so tell me what you know. Here we see that Elihu believes these struggles came because Job sinned, but we know that is not the case. One thing that is clear is that Elihu truly believes that God is good, and ladies he is, and he always does right, and he is always just, but sometimes in life it doesn't feel that way, and that is where the crisis of faith happens, and it happens for all of us. I wish I could say it only happens once in our life and that's it, but that's not necessarily the case, and most of the time these happen during difficult times in our lives. In Job's situation, the enemy attacked, fire came down from heaven, other enemies attacked, a mighty wind struck the house that killed Job's children, then a horrible and painful sickness came over Job. When things like this happen, not only do we ask why, but we ask if God is sovereign over all things, why did he allow this to happen? Why does it seem that God, quote, uses Satan or evil people like Nebuchadnezzar to do his bidding, quote, unquote, with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple? Elihu kept praising God and his mighty works, and in chapter 36 through 26 he says, how great is God beyond our understanding, the number of his years is past finding out. He ends his talk with chapter 37 verses 23 and 24, the almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power, in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress, therefore men revere him, for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart? Job does not respond to Elihu because it appears that the Lord jumped into the conversation in chapter 38, maybe Elihu's praise of the Lord paved the way to prepare Job's heart to hear from the Lord. So ladies, we can learn a few things here. First, anger is a gift from God, it shows us that there is a problem, but we need to stop and see why we are angry, because anger can motivate us to action, which is good, but it can also motivate us to destruction with tearing down people, and that is not good. Many of my regrets in ministry happened because of my anger, and one thing I've learned is that I'm sorry does not always reconcile the relationship. Second, Elihu judged Job without knowing the full story, and I keep working on that issue in my life too. We do not know what other people have gone through, and there is only one judge and it's not me. One thing we can do, as James said, is we need to become better listeners this year, and not be so concerned about what we are going to say in the conversation. I am still not fully sure that Elihu or Job's friends were really there to bring him comfort and compassion. Third, and probably the most important, Elihu loved the Lord and had complete trust in Him, and that is something we can all grow in. If you have heard his voice today, please don't harden your heart. Instead, let's be women who treat others with love and compassion. Let's listen to people that God has brought into our path, and let us grow in our love of the Lord and our trust in Him. Until next time, and thanks so much for listening.